Adventure or Obsession

Gathering for the bus trip into Manzanillo.

The four Nautilus amigos gathered outside the Coordinados Bus depot and waited patiently for the bus to Manzanillo. This "adventure" was called the annual Oaxacan Market shopping trip, but that was really a thinly disguised excuse to travel to one of our favorite eating establishments, Monster Burger.

The bus was about as late as the usual lower cost buses normally are. We loaded in and found our seats. Linda and I sat towards the front of the bus while Jacquie and Grant were seated further back.

Normally we would have photos of the Oaxacan Market,
but let's be real, this was our goal!

Immediately as we departed, a gentleman named David started chatting with us.  He first wanted us to know that the people of Mexico loved us and that U.S. friends were welcome to this country.

He explained that he had lived in the U.S. and that he was able to attend two years at Chico State University in California. That part of his life changed when he got in trouble and he had to return to Mexico, but that is another story that he didn't elaborate upon. He said he now lived in La Huerta and worked for the government.

Then he showed us beautiful photos of a beach in Lo De Marcos where he said he built his house using stones from the local river. He showed us a photo of a very large stone. It had what looked like a "D" in it. He said he placed it near the entry of the house; the "D" representing his name, David.

Flowers outside Monster Burger.

Next, he said he owned a workout gym with a friend, but that did not work out. He showed us photos of the gym and said he lived there.

At this point, Linda leaned over and whispered in my ear that she thought this guy was full of shit. His stories and photos didn't match up at all, but what could we do, get up and move? He talked all the way to Cihuatlán. It was a little confusing to follow.  When the bus stopped he bid us farewell. I don't know if I could have kept up with his stories if he had stayed.

Flowers again. Only posted to add a bit of beauty.
On to the FOOD!

The bus rolled on and our attention went to the movie that was on the TV screens. What a thriller! It was a low budget flick called "Maze Runner" and it had every thriller movie cliche in the book. Linda must have helped write it because she could predict every outcome from every scene in the plot.

Soon we spotted Walmart, our jumping-off point and requested the bus driver to stop. The four of us got off and as we huddled to firm up our plans, I spotted a friend, Dayl, as she walked toward us on the sidewalk. Dayl was in Manzanillo because her husband Craig was in the hospital not feeling well.

My smile tells it all.

Dayl relayed their story and assured us that Craig would be fine. They had plans to fly home within the next few days. Relieved that all would be well, we marveled at the coincidence of running into her this far away from Melaque.

At Walmart, we bought a couple items that we couldn't get in Melaque and then it was off to the Oaxacan Market.

What can I say about the Oaxacan Market? The vendors were sleepy and preoccupied with their phones. The artisan items were basically the same as our tiangue has. There were maybe more cloth items and mole products, but a lot of items we could pick up at home. Grant bought a man bag and Jacquie and I bought jalapeño goat cheese. The cheese was very good. I didn't taste Grant's man bag.

Our annual "Don't touch!" photo.

Our market adventure lasted about half an hour. We then walked to the Soriana store and got a few items which took us another half hour.

We exited the store, hailed a taxi, negotiated the price and were on our way to the real reason we came to Manzanillo... Monster Burger!!

Avad, our driver, took us directly to the front entrance of the burger joint. Linda, before she got out, asked Avad if he could come back to transport us back home to Melaque and how much that would cost us. He was more than happy to take us to Melaque for the price of 500 pesos. He gave her his cell number and was on his way. (314-218-5591)

Strange art in Monster Burger.

From this point, the focus was on lunch and only lunch. We ordered our drinks (two margaritas, a beer, and a jamaica.) Next, we ordered our meals. Jacquie and Grant ordered regular El Capitan Monster Burgers, Linda ordered nachos, and I had a Brisket sandwich.

It was a great meal and we enjoyed every bite.

One thing we noticed was that all the sports-related items on the walls were Seattle Seahawks memorabilia. Flags, jerseys, and posters covered the eating area. No other team was represented. I think that is why we actually go there.

We then had our waiter call Avad and within fifteen minutes we were on our way back to Melaque. Our return trip was uneventful and everyone was filled with food and very quiet. Avad delivered us to our front door and I gave him 600 pesos and he handed me 100 back. I told him to keep it and his face lit up. It was a very nice way to end our trip.

Looking back on our day, we agreed that next year we would return and call it a trip to Monster Burger, skipping all thinly veiled Oaxacan Market talk.

Friends, Fish and Fireflies

OutsideTemplo San Antonio de Padua

"Cristo del Ciclón"

We rushed to volleyball with our packs stuffed full for the day. Our friend Iris was leaving for home and we wanted to spend some quality volleyball time with her before she had to fly. It was a fun hour and at the end, we hugged and said our goodbyes. It will not be the same without her here.

Directly from the pool at volleyball we changed and walked to catch a bus to Barra de Navidad. We had plans to meet up with some friends from Coeur d'Alene who are staying on their sailboat in the marina at the Grand Bay Hotel, awaiting the move to their new casa in Barra's Barrio.

Arriving early to our rendezvous location at the jardin, we walked to Ramone's, a small restaurant on one the main streets, and drank a couple of cold beverages. Volleyball had made us thirsty and those drinks hit the spot.

At our arranged time we walked back to the jardin. As we walked along holding hands we rounded the center planter of vegetation and I spotted David and Rebecca sitting on a bench in the shade. At the same time, Linda started waving and pulling my hand in the direction of a group of people across the street to our right. A moment of confusion ensued. There we were both pulling different directions waving at two different groups of people. We stopped and looked at each other. Finally, Linda spotted David and Rebecca standing up to greet us. We hugged, shook hands and tried to explain the confusion. We looked to the right towards the group of people Linda had thought were David and Rebecca and they were gone! With a confused laugh, we started our visit.

Our view at Sea Master for lunch.

David and Rebecca Kilmer, as I said, are friends from our home town. They have traveled and sailed, living a dream that we have talked about for years. We were lucky to be able to go out on their sailboat, Liberté, when they were staying down in Barra several years ago.  At present they are moored at the Grand Bay Hotel in the marina living on their boat. They have bought a new house and are set to move in the first part of February.  

After the greetings, we walked into Barra's Centro and checked out the many places that we all were familiar with. David and Rebecca pointed out the places where they did their daily shopping and the various areas that provided services for them and Linda and I pointed out the places that we were familiar with from our visits to this fun little tourist town.

We sat down for lunch at a restaurant located right off the water called the Sea Master and enjoyed a nice lunch of tacos and chips. Our time was spent catching up on both couples' lives and the lives of mutual friends. It was a very enjoyable time in a beautiful location.

From the deck of the Sea Master, we walked through the streets, and past the shops to the water taxi dock and caught a panga over to the marina. The taxi captain dropped us off on the dock right next to Liberté. Linda and I were so impressed. Two steps and we were on board. We can't wait to have the Kilmers over to our casa and have them experience the 37 steps up to our living quarters.

The view from their cockpit of Liberté is spectacular. The Grand Bay Hotel encompasses the entire panorama before you. Sailboats and yachts provide the foreground and all this is perfectly edged with the green of palm trees over a blue sky backdrop.

Catching up with friends was wonderful. We sat on the soft pads on the boat and talked and laughed. They suggested that we go for a swim and so we left the boat and wound our way through the maze of garden and villas to the pool area. This pool is actually about four pools connected with slides and waterfalls. Surrounded by beautiful gardens, the pools seem to go on forever. We found a spot in a quiet corner overlooking  Barra and the lagoon. We swam and talked for a while and enjoyed the life at the Grand Bay.

After about an hour our attention was drawn to the many fishing boats that were returning from a day of fishing out at sea. This weekend a huge fishing tournament was taking place and the Grand Bay was the site of all the ceremonies. Boats of all sizes were returning with their catch to be weighed and measured. We could not resist, so we walked from our quiet hideaway into the center of the fishing tournament spectacle.

Night and day! From the tranquility of our quiet corner to a throng of people crowded around the rack where the competing fish were hung after being weighed and measured. The atmosphere was loud music, fish, tequila, pretty girls and testosterone. Big boats, beer, and fish stories. The place was humming. The people-watching was excellent so we crowded in, caught the thump of the loudspeakers, and enjoyed the ride.

The beautiful grounds of the Grand Bay.

After some drinks and exploring the festivities we walked back to Liberté and got comfortable. Rebecca fixed a plate of wonderful snacks and David provided us with some of his world-famous guacamole. We snacked and told stories as the fishing frenzy died out. Once things around the marina calmed down and we watched the lights come up around the Grand Bay, we had to say our goodbyes and catch a water taxi back to Barra. 

Living quarters on Liberté.

Dave and Rebecca escorted us up and into the lobby of the Grand Bay and showed us the vistas from that magnificent complex. We walked the path out of the resort into a favorite hidden garden of the Kilmers. As David told us of how special the area was to them we noticed that they had presented us with a rare spectacle. All throughout the dark garden area twinkled little sparks from a hatch of fireflies. A blanket of twinkling lights for us to say our goodbyes. We hugged and bid adios to our friends and climbed aboard the water taxi and were off across the dark waters. Another amazing day in Mexico.

Part of the pool area where we swam.

Watching the tournament catches being unloaded.

Just one of the unlucky Marlin.

Boats of all sizes.

Dorado!

Fish, tequila, boys and beauties.

David and Rebecca having a tequila mixer.

Photos by David Kilmer, Linda Bennett, and Dean Bennett

Vallarta Visit

Ready for our Plus ride!

Our Primera Plus bus rolled out of Melaque up Highway 200 at 10:15 AM on the dot. We were packed and ready to explore the big city of Puerto Vallarta, five days of fun and friends. This adventure came about when our good friends John and Loretta Sutherland told us they would be in PV for Loretta's birthday. Since we were bus-ride close, Linda made arrangements at a couple hotels and the trip came together.

The drive up was uneventful. Highway 200 is a windy stretch that follows the coastline northwest and then at Tomatlan cuts across the land forming Cabo Corrientes and rejoins the coast at Boca de Tomatlan. It then follows the coast of the Bahia de Banderas into the sprawling vacation fun land of Puerto Vallarta.

After a little over three hours of travel, our bus turned a corner and stopped at a busy intersection in Old Town PV.  We gathered our packs and Linda programmed her phone to lead us to our first stop the Hotel Rosita. We walked the ten blocks to the quaint old hotel and checked in

View from Sutherland's room at Hotel Rosita.

As we finished up with the check-in process, John and Loretta walked in the front entrance. Immediately the two ladies started making plans for the evening.

The Rosita is a quaint 70-year-old hotel located directly on the Malecon with the surf slapping aginst its breakwater. Our room was on the second floor and overlooked the street. It was nicely furnished and provided us with ample space to move about. Road noise was less than we thought it would be and we actually enjoyed watching the events unfold just out our window on the main street.

John and Loretta's room was located on the third floor and overlooked the Malecon with a spectacular view of the Bahia de Banderas and the shoreline of Puerto Vallarta. They were able to sit out and enjoy the evening breeze off the Bahia.

Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe.

Our first two days were spent exploring the markets, Malecon, and sites found in the historic old part of PV. The area was very crowded with tourists and we had to avoid eye contact with every huckster and condo salesperson. This was an almost impossible task. We were bombarded with greetings and if you took the bait you almost had to be rude to get out of their grasp.

Though annoying, we looked at it as just part of the adventure and got very good at letting them know that we were not interested without being too rude.

The art and colors in this old town area were amazing. I think this was the thing that made our stay in both the old town zone and the Zona Romantica so enjoyable. You were constantly treated to wonderful eye-catching art all along the walking areas and shops.

Night view of the Bahia de Banderas.

During our two nights at the Rosita, we ate at two very different restaurants. Our first night we dined on the sandy beach next to our hotel. The food was marginal, and a bit expensive for what we ate, but you could not beat the location and since it was Loretta's birthday, that was all that mattered.

The next night, Linda worked her magic and found us a place two blocks off the Malecon into the city to a taco joint that provided great tacos at a very reasonable price. We ate with the locals and enjoyed watching all that goes with the ambiance of a corner taqueria.

On our second day, Linda and Loretta climbed the stairs up to the Mirador La Cruz del Cerro where they got a tremendous view of the entire PV shoreline. John and I stayed back at the hotel making sure the coffee was good and breakfast was satisfactory.

Later that morning, we made our way through the streets to a bus stop and caught a local bus that took us all the way across town in search of the pier where the local fishermen bring their catch after the day of fishing. We got to see the entire city but didn't really find the marina we were hoping to find.

We ended up eating lunch at the Marina Vallarta. This marina was more of a yachties hangout so we didn't get to see any "daily catch" in the area.

Tacos al pastor at the taco stand.

A little disappointed that we didn't see any of the panga fleet returning with their catch, we caught a crowded bus back to our hotel. The bus rides were something that made the trip well worth the 40 pesos it cost each couple to go out to the marina and back. By this time in our stay we had decided that people watching would play a huge part in the enjoyment of this adventure. The bus did not disappoint on that front.

Back from our exploration, we prepared our backpacks to move to our next hotel that next morning. We didn't know exactly how far the Casa Dona Susana was from our hotel, so John flagged down a taxi cab and we made our move.

Tacos!!!

As we rode to the new location John made arrangments for our taxi driver to return in the morning and take us out of town and to a quaint little puebla, La Cruz de Huanacaxtle or just La Cruz. We had the bus experience under our belt. It was an easy agreement that we should spend the pesos for a taxi for this next excursion to visit John Karpenko at the Marina Cruz de Huanacaxtle.

We checked into our rooms at the Dona Susana and spent the evening walking around the Zona Romantica. Our hotel is located in the heart of everything in this area and just walking around is a unique experience.

The two Johns at Marina Cruz de Huanacaxtle.

At 9:00 AM sharp the next morning we loaded into the taxi that John had secured the prior evening. Our driver was very happy to be driving us to La Cruz. He and John talked about fishing and John found out that he had never been out of PV his entire life.

After our driver dropped us off, we walked to the marina deli and had a quick bite to eat. John K. showed up and we had a great reunion. After a bit, Cherie arrived and John introduced her to the gang. We then loaded on to Mangata, John's sailboat, and headed out into the Bahia de Banderas to sail.

The winds were good and we spent the day chasing whales and talking. At one point we noticed a couple of honey bees flying about. Soon we had more bees flying about. One point there were enough bees that everyone started getting nervous. How could there be a swarm of bees this far out on the water? Cherie got stung and several minutes later I got a sting on my arm. The fight was on! Normally we don't kill bees, in most instances, we can run away from them and stay safe. This time we were on a boat and the bees were sticking around. With no place to run, we decided to fight. We killed several using shirts and towels. My sting was swelling and starting to hurt. This lasted for about forty-five minutes and then the bees were gone. Just like that.

We sailed on and saw several pods of whales. At the end of our day, we dropped the sails and hopped into the refreshing water for a swim. Ducking under the water brought you the sounds of the whales. This was a first John and Loretta.

Returning to the marina we docked the boat and went into the facilities and took showers. From there we walked to a restaurant called Osos and had dinner. It was open mike at the bar and by the end of our evening, we were all out on the floor dancing and singing. What a fun way to end a great day!

We caught a taxi back into PV and went to bed. Thanks, John K, for a wonderful day on the ocean.

Our next day was filled with beach time and shopping. What can you say about that except that it was great people watching.

Saturday morning Linda and I got up and had breakfast. We were packed and ready to go so we caught up with John and Loretta and said our goodbyes. We had such a great visit with them and enjoyed our little vacation immensely. With our bags on our backs, we hiked up to the bus stop and waited for our ride back to Melaque. Going home always takes longer than coming, the bus rumbled on and we were ultimately glad to get back to our little casa.

Swimming and listening to the whales in the bay.

Our dinner at Osos in La Cruze.

Creating the beautiful seats in the
Parque Lazaro Cardenas y Estacionamiento.

There seems to be a theme with the vendors here. (Enough said.)

Crossing one of the bridges to the old town river island area.

The required PV sign pose.

Mirador La Cruz del Cerro

View of Hotel Rosita from Mirador.

Our room at the Hotel Casa Dona Susana.

Linda taking in the happenings from our balcony.